THE BABES GUIDE TO LAW SCHOOL PART. II: THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Hey babes! Welcome back to The Babes' Guide to Law School series!

This part will focus on the application process, what you need + how to get it all done!

So assuming you’ve read part I [if you haven’t, go read it before you start this lol], you know that the law school application process is a HUGE pain in the ass [an expensive one too!] + requires A LOT of time, attention + effort to even make it to the application stage. I mean, we can’t all be like Elle Woods + wake up and decide we gone go to law school lol🥴.

Once you’ve made it past all the before stuff, it’s time to get down to business!

SO HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY APPLY FOR LAW SCHOOL ?!?!

I. First, the LSAT. Unlike in Legally Blonde, most folks don’t just study for a couple of weeks, get scores in the 140’s during practice + get a damn near perfect score on the actual exam. That is beyond unrealistic. Everyone is different but in general, you should plan to study for at least 2 months before the exam you’re taking [I covered the process of applying for the LSAT, CAS, etc. in part I so I won’t bore y’all with repeating it lol] + that means you have to figure out how you study best, find the prep course/materials/tutor that works for you and your budget + GET TO WORK !! Some schools will accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT buttttttttt that’s a fairly new trend —if needed we can get into it lol.

If you need or think you need accommodations, APPLY FOR THEM EARLY !!! Do not be embarrassed to apply for them + choose to struggle because you are only disadvantaging yourself [trust me, I know🥴]. Don’t worry too much about this for now though, I will have a separate post dedicated to accommodations, how to apply for them, etc.

II. Next, get your resume in order! While having legal experience before going to law school isn’t required, it could be helpful to demonstrate your interest in and basic understanding of the law, especially if you have taken a gap-year[or years], or are entering your second career. It’s important to make sure your resume is properly formatted + free of spelling/grammatical errors. Have someone else edit/work with you to edit your resume — sometimes a second or third set of eyes can pick up an error that Word did not.

III. Third, personal statement. A well written personal statement can make the difference between an acceptance and a denial! Your personal statement is like a window into who you are holistically and is your chance to FLEX [by flex, I mean tell a dope story, not empty ass bragging or a straight up sob story😒] and show the admissions committee why YOU should get one of the few seats in their school. As I just said, your personal statement should tell a story [like a personal challenge you’ve faced + how you’ve overcome it] or discuss your goals/accomplishments [without regurgitating what’s already in your application] and then tie back to why you want to go to law school. Some schools provide a prompt or list of topics they’d like to see discussed — if the school you are applying to does so, follow the directions !!! The personal statement should be between 1-3 pages [double check each school’s individual requirements/page limits] and free from spelling/grammatical errors !!! The law school application pool is growing larger by the day — don’t disqualify yourself by submitting a poorly written personal statement!! If possible, you may want to consider working with a pre-law coach/application assistance service [like me] to craft your perfect statement [**shameless plug lol ].

In addition to the personal statement, often times you will see that an “optional” diversity statement can be included in your application; it’s not really optional though lol — a diversity statement could also mean the difference between an acceptance and a denial , or a scholarship and no scholarship — you should take every opportunity you can to show why these schools should choose you over the 897 other applicants.

Also, an addendum is another “optional” statement that ain’t really optional at all lmao. If you bombed the LSAT because the software crashed during the logic games section, the admissions committee wants to hear about it! Addenda provide you with an opportunity to explain, not excuse, a weak spot in your application. Again, while it’s not required, it’s something you should consider before submitting your apps.

IV. Next, letters of recommendation. Besides your personal statement, LSAT + UGPA, your letters of recommendation are an integral piece of your application. Ask for the letters EARLY [professors, supervisors, etc. receive a dozen or more requests for recommendations on top of the work that they have to do and their own personal + familial obligations. if possible, avoid asking 2 weeks before a deadline — respect their time😒!!] — and provide clear instructions for what the letter needs to be [ie. if it should be an overall recommendation or tailored to a specific school]. This allows the person to take their time and REALLLLLLLLY put thought + effort into your letter. Don’t just request a recommendation from any old body though — be sure to establish a positive rapport with the person so that they are able to tell the admissions committee things that go beyond the sh*t they can tell from your transcript/resume.

V. Next, transcripts. Your transcripts are one of the most important parts of your application! Contact the college[s] you attended + request that your transcript be sent to the CAS. When you input all of your materials into the CAS, it generates a score report/GPA that may or may not be lower than your actual GPA — don’t stress too hard about any differences though because the admissions committee sees it all! If you went to grad school before you apply to law school, you are going to need to have those transcripts sent to CAS too but your grad school GPA will not be factored into your score report.

VI. Lastly, individual schools applications. Each school you apply to has its own application that is separate from anything you fill out and submit to LSAC — some applications are very concise and others require a bit more [i.e. some schools require 3 LOR’s and others only require 1]. It is crucial for you to read each application in its entirety, pay attention to any differences/extra requirements and answer the applications as thoroughly and honest as possible. If you’ve been arrested before, got a bunch of parking tickets, have been to straight up jail, etc., pleaseeeee just tell the truth; otherwise it might come back to bite you in the ass later!

 

This list is not exhaustive and I’m not an expert by any means but I know a little sumn, sumn lol😝 !! I hope you #PreLawBaes find this helpful. If you do, please let me know in the comments below [if you dont, let me know that too lol]. And if anyone who has applied to/attended/is currently in law school has any tips, please share those as well!

As always, feel free to email me or DM me on Instagram @thecounselle.

 

xoxo, Elle